Railway-rail.



C. J. GRIFFITH.

RAILWAY RAIL.

APPLICATION FILED APRIZZI 1915.

6 1 9 1 5w 2 R p A U 1% H e t nu P CHARLES J. GRIFFITH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

RAILWAY-RAIL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 22, 1915. SerialNo. 28,092.

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that I, CHARLES J. GRIFFITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railway- Rails, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates generally to new and useful improvements in railway rails and joints therefor, the principal object of my invention being to provide a comparatively simple and inexpensive two-part rail which may be easily assembled or taken apart, which has great resiliency, and therefore, is applicable for use on a concrete base, and the ends of the rails being provided with interengaging portions whereby they are locked to each other without the use of bolts, fish-plates or the like.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of a short portion of my improved rail and showing the same in cross section. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a short portion of the rail and showing one of the joints therein. Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. & is a perspective view of the end of the upper portion of the rail of my improved construction. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the construction utilized where two of my improved rails cross each other.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, 10 designates the base of my improved rail, the same comprising a pair of horizontally disposed flanges and formed integral therewith is a pair of upwardly projecting webs 11, between which is formed a groove 12, the same tapering toward its lower end. The upper outer edge of the webs 11 are provided with inclined faces 13 which receive correspondingly inclined faces on the ball of the rail.

The upper portion of the rail comprises a ball 14 and a depending web portion 15, the same tapering toward its lower end and when applied to the base member this web enters the groove 12 between webs 11. Formed in the underside of the-hall 1 1 adacent to the web 15 are inverted V-shaped grooves 16 which engage over the upper edges of the webs 11 when the parts of the rail are assembled and the outer faces of these grooves 16 are inclined and bear directly against the inclined faces 13.

The upper portion of each rail is'provided at each end with an extension 17 from which depends a centrally disposed web portion 18, the same tapering toward its lower edge and formed to the sides of this web portion are inverted V-shaped grooves 19. Formed inthe end of the upper rail portion to the side of this extension 17 is a recess 20, which accommodates the extension of the next adjacent rail and projecting upwardly in thisrecess are a pair of inverted V-shaped webs 21, which, when the upper rail members are assembled, engage in the inverted V-shaped groove 19 of the next adjacent upper rail section. Such construction provides an 'interengaging joint at the meeting ends of-the upper rail sections and holds the same securely locked to each other without the use of bolts, fish-plates and the like.

When the parts of my improved rail are assembled, the joints between theupper rail sections are offset with respect to the joints between the lower rail sections. If desired, the end portions of the upper rail sections may be made wider or extended outwardly as illustrated in Fig. 2, thereby materially strengthening the rail. at the joints.

When two rails cross each other. I employ a base member 22 which is provided with four arms arranged at right angles to each other and positioned on said base member is an upper member 23 provided with four arms arranged at right angles to each other, it being understood that these members are substantially the same construction as the rail member heretofore described.

A rail of my improved construction is very strong and durable. can be readily assembled or taken apart, can be cheaply manufactured, has great resiliency and all weight impressed on the ball or tread portions of the rails tends to keep the parts thereof firmly locked to each other.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved rail can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, without departing Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

from the spirit of my invention, thescope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

Iclaim: v 1. An assembled rail comprising a base member, a pair of upwardly projecting web portions integral therewith, and an uppergrooves, and an extension on the end of said ball,.which extension is provided on its underside with a tongue and grooves adapted to interlock with the grooves and tongue in the recess at the end of the next adjacent rail.

2. An assembled rail comprising a base member, a pair of webs integral with and projecting upwardly therefrom, a ball member, a web integral therewith, which web occupies a position between the webs of the base member, there being a pair of inverted yl shaped grooves formed in the underside of the ball member, which grooves receive the upper edges of the webs onthe base member, the end of which ball is widened and provided with a recess the-bottom of which is provided with tongues and grooves,

and an extension on the end of said ball,

which extension is provided on its underside with a tongue and grooves adapted to interlock with the grooves and tongue in the recess at the end of the next adjacent rail.

3. An assembled rail comprising a base -member provided with a pair of upwardly projecting web portions, an upper member comprising a ball and a depending web portion which is positioned between the webs on the base member, the underside of said ball being provided with grooves adjacent to the sides of the depending web, which grooves receive the upper edges of the webs which project upwardly from the base member, said ball being widened at each end provided at each end with an extension, and a recess, the underside of which extension is provided with a pair of longitudinally disposed grooves, and a pair of longitudinally disposed ribs formed in the bottom of the recess.

4:. In an assembled rail, an upper rail member comprising a ball, the ends of which are widened, there being a recess formed in the upper portion of the widened end, a pair of longitudinally disposed ribs formed in the bottom of said recess, an extension to the side of said recess, and there being a pair of longitudinally disposed grooves formed in the underside of said extension.

In testimonv whereof I hereunto afiix my signature this th day of April, 1915.

CHARLES J. GRIFFITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, I). C. 

